Fabrizio Carbone and Jérôme Waser awarded ERC Consolidator Grants

Professor Fabrizio Carbone (EPFL Institute of Physics) and Jerôme Waser (EPFL Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering) have been awarded Consolidator Grants from the European Research Council.

The European Research Council’s (ERC) Consolidator Grants are given annually to researchers of any nationality with 7-12 years of research experience after completion of their PhD, as well as “a scientific track record showing scientific talent and an excellent research proposal”. The Consolidator Grants, which generally provide funding for five years, are part of the ERC’s commitment to support “the highest quality research in Europe with competition-based financing”, with the ultimate aim “to establish and solidify European research as cutting-edge research.”

Professor Fabrizio Carbone directs the Laboratory For Ultrafast Microscopy And Electron Scattering at EPFL. His research focuses on the study of ultrafast phenomena in solids and nanostructures. Specifically, his lab studies novel superconductors, charge-density waves, spin-density wave solids, and phase transitions in low-dimensional materials.

“In this project, we aim to manipulate a handful of charges and spins using light pulses,” says Carbone. “Such an ability will provide us with a unique tool for understanding the physics of quantum materials and exploiting their potential for advanced applications.”

Professor Jérôme Waser directs EPFL’s Laboratory of Catalysis and Organic Synthesis. His research focuses on the discovery of new reactivity in organic chemistry, especially using catalysis. The lab uses high-energy molecules to perform chemical transformations, and develops non-conventional bond disconnections to synthesize chemical building blocks and bioactive molecules.

“The project is called SeleCHEM,” says Waser. “Our goal is to develop new methods for the functionalization of chemical bonds in challenging settings – specifically, we will focus on the functionalization of biomass-derived building blocks and biomolecules.”